Art2Muse

Upcoming exhibition with Ami Summers at Art2Muse Gallery 5 – 18 September 2012

After completing her Masters in Illustration in London last year, Elizabeth Barnett has returned to live in Melbourne and make artwork in her studio in Brunswick East. Elizabeth's practice encompasses printmaking, painting, illustration and more recently, intricate textile and paper collage. From the kitchen table to a sea voyage, Elizabeth’s detailed and dreamlike narratives succeed in combining playful naivety with a finely honed aesthetic sophistication. Elizabeth’s primary training in Printmaking has instilled in her an appreciation and love of fine materials and classical techniques and processes. Elizabeth’s more recent work with textiles harks back to a childhood surrounded by handmade clothes, quilts and the delicate embroidery pieces made by her mother.

Artist Statement

Narrative plays a central role in my work, with particular emphasis on the artist’s role as documenter, cartographer and storyteller. Journeys provide one of societies most visually rich sources of narrative. I am interested in the act of making a journey, both the personal journey and those that are significant historically. I seek to make a connection between narratives about travel and how they have been depicted by artists throughout history. Furthermore, I am interested in the link between the way journeys are documented in history and how this impacts on the way we live in the present day.

I use motifs and imagery adapted from iconic journeys to create visually rich artworks that are collaged using a variety of media, ranging from Printmaking, illustration, to lighting and sewn collages. I aim to capture the essence of relationships between people and place, and to engage the viewer in a dialogue between the artwork, history and our future. - Elizabeth Barnett.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

2008-2009 Masters of Arts- Illustration - Camberwell College of Art, London
2006 Bachelor Fine Arts Honours - Printmaking, RMIT, Melbourne.
2002-2004 Bachelor Fine Arts - Printmaking, Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne
2001 & 2004 Puppetry and Set Design master class, Collingwood, Melbourne.

Selected Exhibitions

2010 ‘Free Brains’, SJS Gallery, Melbourne
‘Unfolding’, The Art Shop and Gallery, Abergavenny, Wales
‘In Search of Invisible Cities’, Solo works, Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne
‘Printmaking 10A’, Brunswick Street Gallery, Melbourne

2009 ‘MA Graduate Show’, Camberwell College of Art, Camberwell, London
‘Unfolding’, The Art Shop, Abergavenny, Wales
‘You-Me’, Osaka, Japan
‘Playroom’, Dream Space Gallery, London
‘40 x 40 x 40’, Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne
‘New Figuration’, James Makin gallery, Melbourne

2008 ‘Christmas 2009 Group Exhibition’, Port Jackson Press, Melbourne
‘Printing Figuratively’, Port Jackson Press, Melbourne
‘These Four Walls’, Solo works, Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne
‘A Trick of The Light’ The Dolls House Gallery, Melbourne

2007 ‘50’, Curated by Rona Green, Geelong Gallery, Geelong
‘Open House’, Recent works by Elizabeth Barnett & Sarah Hicks, Young Street Artist-Run Space, Melbourne
‘Travelling Places: Home and Elsewhere’, Solo works, Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne
‘Australian Print Workshop Print Trust Emerging Printmakers Scholarships 2006’, Australian Print Workshop, Melbourne

2006 ‘Printed Matter Only’ RMIT Graduate Exhibition, RMIT First Site Gallery, Melbourne
’Impressions’ Australian Print Workshop Fundraising Exhibition, Australian Print Workshop, Melbourne
‘Works in Progress’ RMIT Honours Exhibition, RMIT Faculty of Art Gallery, Melbourne

2005 ‘Transit’ An exhibition of Printmakers working at the Australian Print Workshop in 2005, Australian Print Workshop, Melbourne
‘The Artist and the Environment’ Melbourne Environmental Arts Festival, curated by Elizabeth Barnett, Emma Hicks and Sarah Hicks, Domain House, Melbourne Royal Botanical Gardens, Melbourne
‘Helm presents; The Portrait Series’ Ume, Melbourne

2004 ‘2004 Graduates Exhibition’ Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne
‘2004 VCA Graduate Exhibition’ Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne
‘2 +1’ 11 Grant Street, Melbourne
‘Tablets of Memory’, Dante’s Upstairs Gallery, Melbourne

2002 ‘Top Arts’, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

Grants/Commissions/Scholarships

2010 Artsite commission, Princes Wharf installation
2006 Australian Print Workshop, Collie Scholarship.
2005 Melbourne Girls Grammar, commissioned painting.
2003 Ambit- Sydney, commissioned paintings
2003-2010 Private commissioned paintings and illustration

Arts Related Work History

2010 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
University of Tasmania, School of Art, Hobart

2008 ANIMATION ARTIST
Collaborative Project, London, UK

-Creating original drawings for short animated video works in collaboration with Visual Artist/Animator Blake Byron-Smith

2006 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Melbourne Girls Grammar, Melbourne